CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Arkansas and Virginia Tech players and coaches got to experience the rush of racing in NASCAR vehicles on Monday as part of Belk Bowl activities at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Groups of four and five at a time got to ride along with drivers from the Richard Petty Driving Experience, who took them around the 1.5 miles oval two or three times at speeds of up to 170 mph.
"Got a little scared, but I got used to it," Arkansas tight end Jeremy Sprinkle said.
"That was awesome," said 6-10 Arkansas tackle Dan Skipper, whose entry and exit through the car window drew lots of attention. "There was a lot more room in there than I thought there'd be. Getting out was tough, but the rest of it was awesome."
Skipper said he has a new appreciation for the fitness it takes to drive in NASCAR. Asked if race-car driving was a sport, he replied, "Absolutely. I mean, you're sitting there and you go up on those banks and you feel the car start pulling and they've got to keep it in the turn, that's tough."
Arkansas defensive end Deatrich Wise was also asked if NASCAR drivers should be considered athletes.
"If you asked me yesterday or last week, I'd have said no," he said. "Now, I would like to say yes.
"You could feel the car drift a little bit toward the wall. I tried not to tense up, but feeling the car drift toward the wall, you could feel the momentum of everything."
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and senior receiver Keon Hatcher were two who opted not to take the test laps.
"I don't do bungee jumping and I don't jump out of planes," Bielema said. "I figure in my life I've chanced death too many other times with too many other things. I figure I'm never gonna jump out of a plane. I don't need to get in a fast car if I don't need to."
Said Hatcher, "They were going a little bit too fast for me. ... I like to be in control. Somebody else being in control, I'm not too fond of that."
Bielema said he wasn't surprised to see Skipper fit his frame into the car.
"When I heard B-Wall [Brian Wallace] got in, I knew Skip was going to be clean because Skip can actually bend a little bit better," he said.
Rosy memory
Virginia Tech Coach Justin Fuente has faced Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema once before, as TCU's co-offensive coordinator when the Horned Frogs beat Bielema's Wisconsin team 21-19 in the Rose Bowl after the 2010 season.
"The thing that strikes me is that it was a very well-played game by both teams," Fuente said. "I don't think there was a turnover. There were very few penalties.
"It was two really good football teams that looked like they could have played all night."
Bielema and Fuente chatted for a couple of minutes in a garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kody's comeback
Senior running back Kody Walker has been cleared for full contact and the Razorbacks are planning to give him some reps in the Belk Bowl.
Walker, a sixth-year senior, has had multiple surgeries on his legs, feet and hand in his long career, which started with five touchdowns in his first three games in 2011, a season in which he was awarded a medial redshirt.
"He's really one of the most popular guys in our program, as far as everybody has a ton of respect for him, so to have him back has brought a little juice," offensive coordinator Dan Enos said. "We're obviously only going to do what Kody's comfortable in doing."
Said sophomore tailback Rawleigh Williams, "That's my big brother. To have him in our room again, and to have him practicing with us, it's something to give us all a little extra boost, because we want to send him out with a win in his last college game."
Senior receiver Keon Hatcher echoed that statement.
"Hopefully he gets to tote the rock a little bit and maybe score a touchdown," Hatcher said.
Healthy Wise
Arkansas defensive end Deatrich Wise played with a broken hand all season after hurting it during the game-clinching combo sack with Jeremiah Ledbetter in the season opener against Louisiana Tech.
He's healthy now, and he's hungry to make an impression in his final game.
"My body's feeling much better and I've had time to rest, time to heal properly," Wise said.
"I would say the bowl practice MVP would be Deatrich right now," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said. "He's just engaged to it. I think he's very healthy."
Long ride
Arkansas Athletic director Jeff Long did the Richard Petty Driving Experience with the rest of the Razorbacks at Charlotte Motor Speedway and he was joined by his brother, Doyle, who also lives in Fayetteville.
"I don't think you can have appreciation for the speed, the power, the sound of these racing machines until you get this close and get to sit in one," Long said. "The force that pulls you in those turns, it's almost indescribable."
Long said the Belk Bowl and Charlotte have come a long way in the past decade.
"I was here the second year with Pitt," he said. "Now I've seen 12 years later how much this bowl has grown. The downtown area, the hotels, this is a much-improved bowl."
Hokie out
Virginia Tech defensive end Vinny Mihota, who started all 13 games, won't play against the Razorbacks after having shoulder surgery.
Mihota separated his shoulder against Miami on Oct. 20, but he played six more games.
Coach Justin Fuente praised Mihota for his toughness, but said Monday it was time for him to get his shoulder fixed.
Mihota had 43 tackles, including 7 for losses of 23 yards, 2 sacks and 3 pass breakups.
Fuente said redshirt freshman Trevon Hill, who notched 33 tackles in a backup role, will make his first start in the Belk Bowl.
New blood
Arkansas and Virginia Tech will be playing for the first time in the Belk Bowl.
The most recent first meeting for Arkansas against a Power 5 opponent came in the Razorbacks' 35-26 loss to Rutgers at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Sept. 22, 2012.
TFL kings
Virginia Tech's Woody Baron and Tremaine Edmunds are tackles-for-loss specialists. They have combined for 34½ stops behind the line, the most by two Tech defenders since 1998. Edmunds, a sophomore linebacker, owns the school record by notching a stop for loss in 13 consecutive games, and he has 17 for the season. Baron, a senior nose guard, has 17.5 tackles for loss.
Extra points
• Coach Bret Bielema said several players, including running back Damon "Duwop" Mitchell, have taken on the identity of 6-3, 238-pound Virginia Tech quarterback Jarod Evans in practice.
• Freshman quarterback Cole Kelley practiced on Monday for the first time since undergoing what Bret Bielema described as routine back surgery in early December. Kelley took a NASCAR ride in the Richard Petty Racing Experience, so his back must be doing well.
• Freshman receiver Jordan Jones and senior cornerback DJ Dean had walking boots during Monday's practice.
Sports on 12/27/2016